What should be avoided when handling a sterile field?

When handling a sterile field, reaching over the sterile field should be avoided because it can introduce contaminants from your hands, arms, or clothing into the sterile area. Maintaining the integrity of the sterile field is crucial in preventing infections and ensuring patient safety, especially during procedures that involve open wounds or invasive techniques.

By reaching over, you risk allowing non-sterile substances or organisms to fall into or come into contact with the sterile items, thus compromising the sterility of surgical instruments, drapes, or other materials necessary for the procedure. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a safe distance and use lateral movements when handling items near or above a sterile field.

The other options, while relevant to sterile handling practices, do not pose the same level of risk in terms of directly compromising the entire sterile field when followed correctly.